Hobson's Choice
by Epeefencer
Summary: Hobson's Choice: the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives. When Harry is sentenced to Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit, Ginny must choose what she will do, neither one something she wants to contemplate. Will she choose that which Harry has asked of her or choose what is easy?


**Hobson's Choice**

Ginny Weasley sat in courtroom Ten chained to the prisoner's chair awaiting the start of her trial. She felt tears pooling in her eyes as she contemplated what had brought her to this ignominious end.

It was hard to believe it was only a little more than a week ago she had been the happiest she had ever been in her life. A life that now lay in ruins and her heart ached for the one who wasn't there, her Harry.

She glanced down at her left hand and stared at the ring that adorned her finger. Her engagement ring, given to her by the love of her life. Though it hadn't been there long, it seemed a lifetime ago when Harry had placed it there.

She took a moment to look around, her eyes landing on the small group of redheads who were looking at her.

Her mother was crying freely, leaning into her father, who while not crying, looked devastated.

Bill and Fleur mirrored her parents, with the quarter Veela crying with her head buried into her brother's chest. Bill looking even more devastated than her father, something she didn't believe was possible.

Next to him was her brother Charlie, of all those who were sitting there, he looked more angry than anything else, though you could tell he was just as devastated as the rest of her family.

George was being held by his girlfriend, Angelina, looking like he had that first year after the death of Fred, his other half.

It hurt her to know that she was the cause, but she had done what she had because the alternative was just too horrible to think about.

Behind him sat Percy who looked more lost than anything else. She'd been glad when he had finally come to his senses and came back, grovelling, to their family, realizing all the had done and that it wasn't worth it.

Finally, next to him were Ron and Hermione. Ron looked as lost as Percy but he also had a bewildered look as if he couldn't believe what was happening.

Tightly held in his arms was Hermione, looking as devastated as her parents, she too was curled up, hiding her head into Ron's chest, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed uncontrollably.

If Ginny had one regret, it was what her action was doing to her family and though it hurt, she wouldn't have done anything different.

She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift back to the last time she had truly felt happy.

A small smile danced on her lips as she recalled that day. She could tell Harry was up to something because of how nervous he was acting. When she had asked him about it, he had looked at her in surprise but then tried to brush it off, though she wasn't fooled in the slightest.

Deciding not to push things, she let Harry carry out whatever he had planned for them, though she did have an idea what was making him so uncharacteristically nervous.

Harry had taken her out for a very romantic dinner to a very posh and expensive muggle restaurant, further cluing her into what she suspected he was up to.

After dinner they had taken a walk with Harry finally Apparating them to a small hill that overlooked a small village.

It took her a moment to realize it was Godric's Hollow that was laid out below them.

Though she was expecting it, it still took her by surprise when Harry dropped down on one knee and proposed to her.

She thought it so sweet the way he stammered what was obviously a prepared speech, but it was filled with his love for her and she couldn't have been happier if she tried.

To top it all off, he quietly explained that the ring had been his mother's engagement ring and he hoped that she didn't mind.

If anything, it only made it that much more special to her and she let her kiss speak for her.

Once they returned to hers and Harry's flat, they had made love for the first time. They had discussed waiting until they were married but in hindsight, she was glad they hadn't waited.

A noise startled her and she opened her eyes once again. It turned out to be one of the clerks who had dropped something onto the table just off to the side of the bench where the person who would preside over her trail would be seated.

Sighing, she let her thoughts drift to what had brought her here and she once again felt the tears start to form.

It was hard to believe that it had just been just a couple of days ago that she had been sitting where her family was, feeling just as devastated as they were now.

She had stared in disbelief as her fiancé, Harry Potter sat in the prisoner's chair, bound tightly by the chains to keep the prisoner tightly in place.

Her mind was in turmoil and she couldn't believe this wasn't some bizarre nightmare.

While Voldemort and all his Death Eaters were history, there were still those who believed in Pure Blood Primacy and they'd been trying to bring Harry down ever since the end of the war against Voldemort.

They had finally managed to set Harry up and then accused him of murdering someone, using one of the Three Unforgivable Curses. The Killing Curse, _Avada Kedavra,_ thought by most to be the worst of the three.

Before _Priori Incantatem_ could be performed they had snapped his wand, destroying any chance of testing it to prove his innocence.

They chose to strike while the current Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt was out of the country so that he couldn't interfere.

That led to this kangaroo court that had already passed judgement before the trial even began. There were those who feared Harry's power and influence and had started to spread rumours that he was the next Dark Lord in the making.

Ginny had testified that Harry had been with her all that fateful day but her testimony was discounted as she was his girlfriend and they claimed she would say anything to protect him. Unfortunately they had spent the day alone so no one else could collaborate that they had been together.

She and Harry had both said that they'd testify under _Veritaserum_ but that request was denied. They were never given an adequate explanation as to why, though they knew it was because it would have proven them right.

As soon as sentence was passed, Harry's eyes found hers and she saw true fear in them as they stared at one another. Ginny knew that Harry's greatest fear was being sent to Azkaban.

Even though the Dementors had sided with Voldemort, a number had been reinstated as the guards at the fortress prison in the middle of the North Sea.

While Minister Shacklebolt had been vehemently opposed to it, the Wizengamot had over ruled him and so the foul creatures were once again guarding Azkaban.

Ginny knew just how badly Harry reacted to the Dementors and she knew he would go mad in a short time in their presence.

Besides the fear, she saw something else that she had dreaded to see. It was his entreaty to her to spare him that fate.

With tears in her eyes, she gave him a small curt nod of her head and she saw him relax a little.

Because of the lateness of the hour when the 'trial' ended, Harry was to be held at the Ministry over night. That and the fact that the Ministry wanted to make a spectacle of transferring Harry to Azkaban.

Because she was his fiancée, she asked for and was granted one last visit. She was thoroughly search and had to surrender her wand before she was taken to where he was being held.

As soon as she was allowed in, she rushed into his arms and began to cry uncontrollably.

She couldn't believe the strength of character he showed as he enveloped her in his arms, the whole time whispering words of comfort.

Once she had calmed down enough, they shared a passionate kiss, not caring that the guard was standing right outside the door, leering at them.

All too soon it was time for Ginny to go. They shared on last kiss and hugged harder than Molly had ever done.

Harry laid his head on his shoulder, away from the guard. "I know I've asked you to do the unthinkable and I'll understand if you can't bring yourself to do it," he whispered.

Ginny felt her heart clench painfully. "I won't fail you," she whispered back emotionally.

With tears in both their eyes, Ginny left, leaving Harry standing there, watching the love of his life until she was out of sight. Feeling drained, he lay down on the small cot in the room though he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.

Morning came much too quickly for Ginny. She dressed and headed down into the kitchen at the Burrow, choosing to stay there instead of going back to hers and Harry's flat. The thought of going there was just too painful.

Her mother placed a plate before her but Ginny couldn't force herself to eat. Her thoughts were totally wrapped up with Harry and the day to come.

Though she couldn't eat anything, she did sip her tea, noticing the looks she was getting from her mother.

Sighing irritably, she asked "What, Mum?"

Molly looked at he daughter worriedly. "Perhaps it would be best if you didn't go to the Ministry this morning," she said lowly.

Ginny felt her anger spring forth and she looked at her mother in disbelief. "I'm Going!" she snarled. "And there is nothing that's going to keep me from being there for Harry!"

Molly knew that would be her daughter's answer but she was surprised by the intensity of her anger. "Whatever you think is best," she whispered contritely, wishing she could spare Ginny from the emotional turmoil it would cause.

Ginny knew she needed to get away before she said something she'd regret. Without a word she sprang up and headed outside.

She headed down toward the pond, where she and Harry had spent so much time together. The both loved the tranquil setting and the privacy the place afforded them.

She sat on the log where she and Harry had always sat, closing her eyes and tried to find peace with herself.

She felt the Sun warm her and she imagined it was the warmth of Harry snuggled into her side.

Checking her watch, she saw it was time to go get ready. Once in her room, she put on her best robes and she smiled wanly as she stroked the fine soft material.

The robes had been a gift from Harry. When she had protested about what they must have cost, he had silenced her with a kiss before explaining that nothing was too good for her.

She brushed out her hair until it shone and she left it free to cascaded down her back, the way Harry preferred as he loved to run his fingers through it, something they both found enjoyable.

The last thing she did was make sure she had her wand hidden so that it couldn't be discovered.

With one last look in the mirror, she knew she was ready for what was to come. She wouldn't fail Harry. She glanced down at her stomach and smiled at the secret she was carrying.

Then she took one last look into the mirror and with a steadying deep breath, cementing her resolve, she rose and headed to meet her fate.

She wasn't surprised to find her parents waiting for her and though she had hoped that they would've left her go by herself, she knew that wasn't going to happen as they had always thought of Harry as one of their own.

In no time at all they were at the Ministry and though security was tight, because for the charms Harry had taught her, her wand went undiscovered.

Ginny looked around in disgust. The place was a veritable zoo with hoards of people there to see the "Great Harry Potter" be put in his place. The fact that everyone seemed gleeful only fuelled her anger.

Luckily she and her parents were able to find a spot at the front of the crowd that packed the Ministry.

Then there was a rise in the noise and Ginny saw Harry being led from the lifts. He was shackled on his hands and feet, barely able to walk because they were so tight. She could tell by just one look that he hadn't slept at all and it only further broke her heart.

Almost immediately there eyes met and locked together. She saw Harry smile at her and he mouthed "I Love You!"

"I Love You Too," she mouthed back and then before her eyes could fill with tears that would keep her from seeing clearly, she drew her wand.

She saw Harry smile at her as she pointed her wand at him.

It was then that Ginny realized you didn't need to hate your target but just be filled with that emotion and she did hate, fully and totally at what the Wizarding World had done to her sweet, noble, caring and loving soulmate.

Without taking her eyes off his, she screamed " _Avada Kedavra!"_

Just before the curse struck, she saw Harry say "Thank you, Love."

Then the green light hit him and he crumpled to the floor.

Ginny dropped her wand and crumpled to the floor too, her heart breaking at what she'd been forced to do.

Around her the place broke out in chaos and she wasn't even aware as the Aurors came and seized her over the protests of her parents.

Nothing mattered to her any more. The light of her life was gone, by her hand and she knew she'd never be happy again.

Ginny was startled out of her reminiscing by the pounding of the gavel, bring the court into session.

She barely paid attention to the proceedings, not really caring. She had done what she had to do and would suffer the consequences.

She became aware that silence had descended on the courtroom and she noticed the presiding Warlock staring at her, his look devoid of all compassion.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, before we pronounce sentence do you have anything to say to the court?" the man asked harshly.

Ginny stared into his eyes unflinchingly. "I'm pregnant," she said calmly.

She heard the immediate outbreak of voices all around her as the crowd reacted to her statement.

The Chief Warlock look at her in surprise for a moment before he glared at her. "If this proves to be true that will certainly affect what happens to you," he said in disgust.

"Sentencing is postponed until this information can be verified. Court is closed," he said, banging the gavel.

Ginny smiled smugly, knowing that the law prohibited pregnant women being sent to Azkaban due to the effects the Dementors would have on the unborn child.

As she was taken away, she glanced at her parents and saw the surprised looks on their faces. She had briefly thought about confiding in her mother but ultimately decided not too.

Under Auror escort, she was taken to St Mungo's where it was verified that she was pregnant.

For the time being she was sequestered in a secure room at the hospital but when Kingsley returned he was able to get her released, changing it to house arrest.

At first she went to the Burrow but after one week, Ginny knew she'd never survive under the constant hovering of her mother. She sent a message to Kingsley and talked him into letting her stay at hers and Harry's flat.

Of course she had to have a multitude of tracking spells and other security measures put in place but she didn't care, she was home where she and Harry had started to build a life together.

At first she found it rather difficult but she soon got over that. She had Harry's things around her and as silly as it seemed, she could feel his love through them.

As she entered the fourth month of her pregnancy it was discovered she was having twins, a boy and a girl.

Without any hesitation she named them James Sirius and Lily Ginevra, the names that she and Harry had talked about for their children when they had any.

The other thing she decided right away was that she asked Bill and Fleur to be their godparents.

The night she told them she broke out in laughter, the first time since that dreadful day. The stunned look on Bill's face was the reason.

He had asked if maybe she didn't want Ron and Hermione to fulfil that role as they had been Harry's best friends.

Ginny had shaken her head, explaining she wouldn't do that to hers and Harry's children. When she and Harry had discussed children even he thought Ron and Hermione would be a bad choice.

Bill and Fleur promised to raise James and Lily the way Ginny and Harry would have, if they'd had the opportunity.

The other thing she had done was set up trust funds for the children. Harry had left everything to Ginny. While the Potters had been comfortably well off, Harry had inherited the Black Family fortune from Sirius.

The Ministry had tried to prevent her inheriting Harry's estate but fortunately the Goblins didn't care one whit what the Ministry wanted and they were very helpful in settling Harry's and hers estates.

Ginny was allowed a certain number of hours outside of her flat though always in the company of an Auror.

She had been surprised when it was Susan Bones who ended up with that duty. Initially Susan had been standoffish and a little cold toward Ginny. Then one day she had asked why Ginny did it.

Ginny patiently explained it was what Harry had wanted and asked her to do. She explained about how the Dementors affected Harry and how she couldn't in good conscious let him suffer that way.

Susan remembered Harry's experiences his third year and understood why Ginny had done what she had done. After that she treated Ginny totally different and while she couldn't shirk her duty, she did take Ginny many places she probably wouldn't have been able to go normally.

The one place she visited most often was the graveyard in Godric's Hollow where Harry was buried along side of his parents.

Susan even let her have time alone with Harry and his parents, staying away but always keeping Ginny in view, not that Ginny would have tried to escape as she really had no place else to go.

While visiting the graves one time she discovered that the plot next to Harry was vacant and she secretly made arrangements to purchase it so when she died, she could be buried next to him.

Ginny's pregnancy progressed like all pregnancies do and two weeks early, she gave birth to two beautiful babies. It just so happened that they were born on July 31st, Harry's birthday.

She smiled at them, James already with a thick head of black hair like his father's and Ginny knew it was going to stick up just like Harry's had. Lily had her red hair but Harry's brilliant green eyes, just like her namesake.

Though seeing the children filled her with joy, it was bittersweet as she knew that now that she had given birth she would be sent to Azkaban.

She was surprised when she was informed because the children were premature, she'd be granted a one month reprieve so she could breastfeed her children as the qualities of her milk would strengthen and help protect them.

But even that boon soon was coming to an end and the last night of her so called freedom was spent with Bill and Fleur and her children.

It was decided that Fleur would spend the night so that Ginny could sleep with her children one last time, something Ginny was eternally grateful for.

As it grew late and though Ginny was loathed to do so, she finally went to bed, keeping James and Lily in a bassinet next to her bed.

Kissing their foreheads, she fell into bed, crying herself into a fitful sleep. At first her dreams were filled with sorrow as she watched James and Lily growing up without her and Harry.

Then they changed and Harry was with her, telling her how wonderful she had been, bring two such wonderful children into the world and while they'd grow up without him and her, she had made sure they'd grow up in a loving home with two people who would take care of them and tell them all about their mother and father.

Ginny woke up as the predawn light filtered through the window. Her heart felt at ease because of her dream.

As she turned over and looked at the sleeping James and Lily she was shocked to see Harry standing next to then, gazing down on them lovingly.

Ginny shook her head and blinked her eyes, not believing what she was seeing. It was then she noticed that there was something different about Harry. His body seemed to shimmer with a golden light.

While he wasn't transparent like a ghost, he wasn't quite as substantial as a real person.

He smiled at her. "You've given birth to two amazing and beautiful children," he said softly, his gaze filled with love.

"Though I wasn't there physically, I was with you every step of the way," he continued. "You've given me what I always wanted, a family."

Ginny found it hard to believe and had trouble breathing. She felt tears start to trail down her cheeks and she smiled ruefully.

"I've missed you so much," she cried softly.

Harry nodded at her, a sad smile on his face.

Ginny rose and stood before Harry, seeing the love he had for her shining forth. Then taking her by surprise, Harry wrapped his arms around her. "I love you Ginny. Come with me and we'll be together for all time," he said softly, his voice filled with his love for her.

Ginny crushed herself into Harry's body. "That sounds wonderful," she whispered happily.

Fleur came in a short time later to wake Ginny and found her body laying on the bed, a smile on her face.

Somehow the part Veela knew that she was now with Harry and though she was saddened by all that had happened, she was happy for the two who had given so much to the Wizarding World and suffered so much for it.

She sent a message to Bill to come and help her with James and Lily before she sent word to the Ministry.

She vowed that James and Lily would grow up knowing the truth about their parents.

 **Harry and Ginny**

 **A/N: Just something that came to me after reading something in another story about Harry's fear of being sent to Azkaban. Ginny would do anything to spare Harry that fate and this is the result.**

 **As always your reviews and comments are greatly appreciated.**


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